Strasbourg, 3 October 2012 - "Social cohesion is the glue that holds society together, and it is at risk worldwide", said OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria, while addressing PACE on Wednesday.

"The length and depth of the crisis is now being felt in the streets of our countries where social stress is high", added former Mexican Finance minister, analysing the fifth year of the global economic crisis, with 48 million people unemployed in the OECD area.

Gurria underlined the need for the implementation of structural reforms and a more inclusive political agenda. "Citizens have lost faith and trust in their institutions and their governments: without this confidence, there will be no growth", he mentioned.

Finally, OECD Secretary General envisaged further co-operation with the Council of Europe in the area of governance in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Speech

OECD website